I Sing the Blues and Swallow Them Too
by Yellowfur
Summary: Now versus then... this isn't how I want to feel. Oneshot. A cartoon Hollywood type of world, but is not part of my fic The Cartoon Hollywood. A challenge fic.


**Disclaimer: I own none of the cartoons used within. Why are you picking on me?**

**Yeah, this was a challenge by Dracozombie. I just couldn't resist. Now this isn't to say I'll go around doing whatever you tell me to, I just liked the sound of Dracozombie's.**

**It's a oneshot. Angsty, I guess. Stars Ami and Yumi, Sakura, and Timmy.**

**I also realized I must be obsesssed with my whole Hollywood-for-cartoons thing. I mean, this is like my Cartoon Hollywood fic, but it's different scenarios and probably wouldn't fit as a deleted scene or chapter or anything like that to "The Cartoon Hollywood".**

**Yes, I realize there is no dialogue. I meant to do that.**

**All reviews accepted.**

**By the way, "I sing the blues and swallow them too", from _Hum Hallelujah_ by Fall Out Boy. Ye-ahh.**

* * *

Ami and Yumi, former rocker chicks, sat side by side, in identical navy blue cloth, flimsy-looking chairs that both read 'DIRECTOR' on the back in gold print. Even though they were almost always together, Ami's bright pink hair next to Yumi's perfectly purple 'do was an eye-hurting combination. Their show hadn't been running for a few years now, but it wasn't like this bothered them. Their fancy-shmancy director's chairs replaced the familiar feeling of the worn leather seats on their tour bus. The studio was the girls' new tour bus and cameras and scripts were the new guitars and drums. 

The fact that they had abandoned their instruments may surprise you, but what do you expect? No cartoon can continue going _forever_. And there are so few options for a cartoon character afterwards. Your cartoon is done. Over. Finished. The only hope for you yet in the animation business is a holiday special or TV movie. God forbid you be a oneshot TV movie. Then there REALLY are no options afterwards.

Ami and Yumi weren't happy with leaving music behind. They genuinely missed it. In their spare time, Ami wasn't afraid to tap out a few beats, and Yumi wasn't afraid to respond by a strumming a few chords. Again, they missed it with all their hearts. Music was their calling. But it's time to put in the earplugs and focus on what's ahead.

Directing, writing for cartoons, was really all an abandoned animation could hope for as far as acceptable jobs went. The only thing that made this job easier to get for this demographic was that since they used to be in the biz, they knew the ropes. Could they get a real job, like a cubicle-type job or in construction? Right, a real job for cartoon characters… where, at the funny farm? What planet are you from again? Ami and Yumi were famous and they planned to stay that way. So what if some former fans spray-painted 'SELL OUTS' in red on their garage door a year ago? No skin off their nose that these people obviously don't know how to survive.

And the poor soul who was trying to read his lines and project his voice was failing miserably. And acting poorly in front of these hotshot directors was _no_ way to survive. Next!

* * *

Bubblegum-pink-haired beauty Sakura Haruno sat alone in the nightclub 'Castle in the Sky'. Or rather, as alone as you could get in one of the hottest spots in the hottest cities, where the music seemed to make everything vibrate (including your liver). It's funny how these clubs can look so dark yet so lit-up at the same time. 

Sakura hadn't touched her drink. In fact, she forgot what it was. It was the club's special and whatever it was, it smelled like an energy drink. She continued staring at it and sighed. Sakura was clad in her usual type of off-set outfit, tonight consisting of a black lace minidress and cropped black leather jacket. Heels and an awesome makeup job that made her porcelain pale skin look smooth as silk and made the green in her eyes pop out even more than usual completed the look. Now all that was missing was a smile.

As people jumped and gyrated around her, she felt even more out of place. Why had she agreed to go here with Ino after the photo shoot? Why didn't she just go home to her studio apartment, where she could at least find comfort in her own modern furniture, her own floral room spray, her own big screen TV planted in front of her own down comforter, and her own territory?

As a boy cartoon character who she knew went by the name of Danny Fenton stumbled into Sakura by accident and mumbled an apology, Sakura caught a look at his black hair, part of which stuck out in his eyes, just like Sakura's coworker (and crush) Sasuke Uchiha. Her infatuation for him was the same in real life as it was while the cameras were on (she and Sasuke were the two main supporting characters on the show _Naruto_). So she had played it the shallow Hollywood girl way and dated the next hottest anime boy to get Sasuke jealous; handsome blond lady's man Sanji from _One Piece. _But there two fatal flaws here:

1. Sanji didn't know he was only being used for a ploy.

2. Sakura happened to let Temari, another girl on the set of _Naruto_, know the whole thing.

Temari 'accidentally' let it slip. Now Sasuke was still clueless that she liked him and under the impression that she was in love with Sanji. And Sanji was still hurt and angry after breaking up with Sakura. And the breakup was just in time for Sakura to realize that she may have had more fun with Sanji than she thought and developed the same type of nervous prickly feeling on the soles of her feet whenever she saw Sanji that she could have sworn was a feeling reserved for Sasuke.

It was like some sort of predictable teen movie. The difference here was that there was no happy kiss-and-make-up ending in near sight for Sakura.

* * *

When did Timmy Turner hit such a low point? How did he go from the 'It Boy' to 'Boy Who People are Only Nice to Out of Pity'? It couldn't have happened right after _The Fairly OddParents_ was cancelled. That was only two or three months ago. The young actor (yes, even with a silly pink hat off-set) must have been progressing downward for a while now and he didn't even notice. But how could he have not noticed the path that would eventually lead to his being a bartender in 'Castle in the Sky'? Sure, it was the flashiest spot around, but it wasn't as flashy as the cameras. 

A bartender, for crying out loud! Mixing drinks for tipsy 'wanna-bees' and 'I-ams'. Was he even old enough to be doing this? Did anyone even care?!

What was even more unbelievable for Timmy Turner was how few options there were for him. He talked to his agent, and in response she gave him the 'Help Wanted' section of the newspaper.

As Timmy scowled at the unfairness of it all, he glanced to the side at the latest brooder to hang out at the counter and ponder over their drink, Sakura Haruno from _Naruto_. He figured she was probably moping over a few takes gone wrong today. Timmy rolled his eyes and occupied himself wiping a wine glass clean as a girl in a light blond ponytail came and, with a little tugging and a lot of gigging, somehow convinced the moping Sakura to come out on the dance floor. And Timmy rolled his eyes again, wallowing in his own misery, somehow taking more discomfort in the fact knowing that there couldn't possibly be someone as unhappy as he was in the city.

* * *


End file.
